Leak-stopper.



E. C. VILLIERS.

LEAK STOPPBR.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 1

Patented D80. 22, 1914.

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THE NORRIS PETERS C0, FHOm-L!THO., WASHINGTON. D. c. I

LEAK-STOPPER.

, Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 22, 1914.

Application filed November 1, 1913. Serial No. 798,721.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD CECIL VIL-- Links, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, and a resident of Faversham, in the county of Kent, England, (whose post-office address is The Oaks, Ospringe, Faversham, in the county of Kent, England,) have invented Improvements Relating to Leak-Stoppers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to leak stoppers, ineluding collision mats and the like, the object being to make them highly efficient in sealing an aperture, in resisting pressure from without or within, in resisting the wash or current of the water tending to displace them when used upon ships or other water craft, and to afford an easy means of expelling water by pumps or fluid pressure from a flooded vessel or compartment.

Leak stoppers which have been previously designed have not been suitable for such large apertures as are often caused by collision, being deficient in adhesive power over a large area and not being conformable to the uncertain irregularity of surface due to deformation of the ships plates or even to the ordinary curvature of the hull.

For carrying out the objects of this invention, electromagnets are attached to the leak stopper in any desired number and in a manner suitable for establishing an efficient magnetic connection to the plates of the vessel, which willfor illustration-be assumed to be a ship.

The leak stopper may be made of strong canvas, of any number of thicknesses and suitably waterproofed if necessary, or of any other material or metal according to circumstances. It may be circular, oval, rectangular or of any other desirable shape. The canvas or the like may be supplemented by strong metal plates or ribs, arranged in parallel rows, allowing the stopper to curve or bend one way according to the curvature of a vessels plate. Tubes may be let into the leak stopper for the purpose of expelling water from a flooded vessel by pumps, steam, or compressed air or equivalent means after thestopper has been placed over an aperture in such vessel. The electric winding passes around near to the edge of the'leak stopper, and is "surmounted by magnets of the horse shoe kind arranged saddlewise, in suflicient number to complete a circle or a boundary around the margin of the leak stopper. Nevertheless, other designs of electromagnets may be made use of.

Reference will hereinafter be made to the accompanying drawings, which show some examples of leak stoppers made according to my present invention.

Figure 1 is a plan of such a leak stopper viewed from the outside, and Fig. 2 a cross section of the same. Fig. 3 is a cross section upon a larger scale through the edge containing the magnets and winding, and Figs. 4 and 5 are sectional views showing two different shapes of such a leak stopper in position upon a curved and a fiat surface respectively.

In the form of magnet illustrated, the in sulated winding 1 traverses the arms of a series of magnets 2, spaced along it throughout the length of the edge of the leak stopper 3, the winding terminating in two leads 4 or in terminals, plugs or such like fittings. Ribs 6 or plates or bars of any useful kind are aflixed to the stopper, supporting it against pressure upon either side, but permitting slight bending. Waterproof material 7 may be fastened to the magnets by bolts 10 or otherwise to stop leakage on the inside as well as on the outside, as the water pressure can be from within. Pressure tubes 8 and discharge tubes 9 may be fitted to the stopper, passing through glands such as 11, when it is desired to expel water through the sealed aperture. The winding 1 may be retained in the trough formed by the magnets 52 by a brass cover plate 12.

I do not restrict myself to the details as shown or described herein, since many modifications can be made therein without departing from the essential features of my said invention.

I claim- 1. A leak stopper or collision mat comprising a piece of pliable material, an insulated electric winding near the edge of the mat, together with a number of horseshoe or slotted magnets arranged saddlewise over the said winding.

2. A leakstopper or collision mat comprising in combination a pliable body of sufiicient size or area to overlap the edges of the aperture requirifig to be sealed, :1 cuit Without being Wound around the limbs ring of Ci'liifi of milglietikfi page iiieges (ff i'ridividliallyl horseshoe" O'rmation 'astene ili 'epen ent y at or near to the edge of said plia'bl'e b'o'dy, EDWARD CECIL VILLIERS' and a winding 01: windings of insulated- Wir'e Witfi'ss: o

located between the limbs of the horseshoes ARTHUR H. STANLEY, and being thus common to the ring or" dif- JOHN P. BLACK.

. cbp'ie's of thisqitm may be obtaind fa; five eent' gem 155 aa'aressin the commissioii 6r fifen'ts,

' 4 Washington, D. 0. 

